Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-24

OxG1Jh IL OGO1JUxO1ixS
have attempted to report him, he has given vent
to his displeasure at the result.
Holman Is another who initiates his words. II
requires the utmost attention TO report him.
Price OF Wisconsin. was dincult to report 50 were
Thompson, OF Iowa; Beck. OF Kentucky, and Ran
ney, OF Massachusetts, All these were men whom
the reporters dreaded.
TRYING SITUATIONS.
But besides all this there are other things which
try the souls OF the reporters While debate Is
going on In the House there Is always q shadow or
duplicate OF II in an undertone. While one OF the
rounded by members who are discussing the same
subject In lower tone, and sometimes they Will
address their remarks directly to the reporter:
often members sit along side Of the reporter and
ask him all manner OF questions Sometimes he
gets In the midst OF members who are paying no
but are rs
sion OF some other matter. The reporter hears all
this, together with what he has TO report, and
frequently becomes interested in both subjects
But while his ears are opened to two channels
his pencil follows the now OF but one.
sometimes son, the reporter win pc seen with broad
technical debate. You may know then that the
group Of members setting near him with their
sentative Klotz, Of Pennsylvania, was one Of the
brightest story tellers the House ever had. He
used TO tell great variety OF funny stories In Ger
would drop his stories into any ear he found opened
conveniently near him. It used 10 be q habit
nssr h Sp
the best OF his stories. This was q mark of
friendship He never thought OF the interruption.
poured into their ears while engaged in reporting
most trying debate. When they would see him
bearing down on them they used to fortify their
Very few members like the trouble Of reading
tne reports before they go 10 print. Therefore the
reporters have the full RESPONSIBILITY for errors
Ders VINO Will never read the copy will make
AGRRAr FUSS
ffthere Is word wrong in the record. Mr.. Noel
hone, besides taking his turn with the rest in
porting debates, looks over all the copy, to see
that the paging is all right. This he does very
clerks is such that IT is seldom any sort OF cor
rection has TO be made. II an error does occur he
finds 1t almost at glance.
AT THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
At six O'Clock the cOmpositors at the Government
Printing ONCE begin their work. Some time be-
fore that hour the messenger comes after the copy
AS fast as the notes OF the report are Transcribed
the copy is arranged In order and put In little
little square mahogany box. II Is then looked
over by Mr. McElhOne. II any member wants 10
look over 'his copy" the messenger Is directed TO
take 1t TO MIN before going 70 the Printing once
aa 70 C %a 9n we ne aas the s .e
hurry up The printers are crying for copy. The
report is then taken to the printing oflce. where
the printers. 1t has always been the custom TO
put experienced men upon the Record work, and a
corps OF the most expert look over the
proofs There Is no supervision OF the proofs by the
reporters. When the copy leaves their hands they
hear no more OF IL until the printed record comes
in the next day: New members are generally
anxious to see the proof OF what they have said
before 1t gets into the Record, but the Older men,
beers have become used TO 1t and rely more on the
In the morning the Records are sent to the Cap
itol IN great bundles. They are distributed among
the various committee-rOOms and one Is placed on
the desk or each senator and Representative. The
Representatives always read them in the morn
ing II they have any correction TO be made they
announce II to the Speaker on the opening OF the
session.
The Record that Is placed on the members
desks is not stereolyped, and the members have
three or four days in which to make any c0rrec-
tons they may deem necessary. 1t Is then stereO-
typed for the bound edition.
Prior TO 1873 the proceedings OF the House were
recorded In the Congressional Globe under a con-
tract first with Mr.. Rives and later with Rives &
Bailey, who owned the Globe. The same corps OF
reporters who recorded the proceedings for the
work for the Record Some OF these are still EN-
plOyed.
WHO THE REPORTERS ARE.
While Mr.. McElhone is officially known as the
"chier " reporter, and has been there longer than
the rest they are in fact all on equality. Each
is appointed by the Speaker and is responsible
directly to him. They AL work alike and each Is
entirely responsible for his own work. Each re-
porter has also to pay his own clerks. The clerks
are not provided TOR by the House. 1t has taken
long experience for the reporters TO become COM
pelent to report the proceedings OF the House.
Mr. McElnOne has, as has been said, been longest
Senate for one year and from there came over to
the House, assuming great responsibility. Prior
to that he had been connected with newspaper
work and had had the advantage OF collegiate
education He was connected with the Philadel-
phia Press at It's incipency and wrote letters from
Washington Tor som. time after he began report
inpf mr.
Mr. David Wolf Brown and Mr.. j. X. Edwards
were both Globe reporters. Mr.. j. II. White and
Brown mas been an Official stenOkrapuer OF the
House debates for more than twenty years, next
TO Mr.. McElhone the longest service OF any now
was thirteen years old. He got his first profess
SiOnal experience as an assistant on the Globe
corps in the Senate during two Congresses. After
that he was for several years the oicial reporter
OF the Pennsylvania house OF representatives, and
also did general stenOgraphic work IN Pnila-
present po,ltion under appointment by the Dub.
fishers or The Congressional GLOBE.
Mr.. Edwards has been a member OF the corps
since the commencement OF the second session OF
the FOrty-first Congress- TO prepare him for this
position he had for number OF years had a wide
experience IN newspaper reporting, pecially OF
legislative proceedings. AT the time VI his appoint
menL he was making shorthand reports for news
papers OF the Legislature at Ontario. When he
left To come here the members or the legislature
presented him with 800 gold watch ana SET Of
Sllverware. Tue presentation was made on the
f1OOr OF the house by the premier, JOnn S. Mac
donald. The testimonial was accom- panied by an
address, signed by the speaker and members ex-
pressing their good wishes on the occasion or MIR.
Edwards entering on a new sphere OF duty. On
the ne day he WAS complimented with a dinner
by his press associates, Mr.. White, thea Journal
list, now Canadian minister OF the interior, pre-
siding
Mr.. White had been a newspaper writer and
shorthand reporter, doing court and legislative
porting. He got familiarity with the rules and
practices OF the House secretary to Speaker
Kerr, and later as secretary TO Speaker Randall
When Mr.. Hincks, one OF the old reporters died,
Mr.. Randall appointed Mr.. White to succeed him.
He took up shorthand when he was a mere child.
Mr.. Devine at one time reported the proceedings
OF both branches OF Congress for the Associated
Press, and had had considerable experience In
legislative reporting at Albany and elsewhere, be-
he went Into the service or the House In 1874
He was committee reporter for tue House for q
number OF years until appointed to report de-
bates three or four years ago: During the Con-
gressiOnal investigation OF all the Departments in
the Forty -sixtn Congress. when at one time there
were seventeen investigating committees sitting
simultaneously, he and his associates had to do Q
volume Of work far exceeding that In both houses.
He had to report Investigations growing out of the
Tilden- Hayes election in 1876, including those OF
the tamous "POtter committee" and the ''ctpher
nm no